Telling someone their idea is bad is easy. Showing them how to make it better is leadership.

Finding the fault in an idea takes almost no skill, which is why there is never a shortage of people doing it. The harder and rarer move is keeping hold of the part that was good and showing where the rest could go. That asks you to understand the idea well enough to improve it rather than well enough to dismiss it.

When something lands in front of you that is not good enough yet, name the piece worth keeping before you name the problem. Then offer one concrete change. The person comes back to you with the next one.